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The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

St. Louis Guide: Forest Park

St. Louis Guide: Forest Park

Park demonstrates the nature of St. Louis

At 1,371 acres, Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the country. It contains sand volleyball courts, golf courses, tennis courts and an ice-skating rink.

Path systems for bicycling, roller-blading and running serpentine throughout the park. There are several public sports fields so visitors can play softball, soccer, football, rugby, lacrosse, archery and cricket. The park holds several lakes, many of which allow fishing.

Forest Park encompasses over 140 acres of wildlife including forests, prairies, and wetlands. John F. Kennedy Memorial Forest contains over 200 species of birds. It is also home to coyotes, turkeys and other wildlife.

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Forest Park officially opened to an estimated crowd of 50,000 people on June 24, 1876 and hosted the World’s Fair in 1904. During the World’s Fair, Forest Park had over 100,000 visitors a day, for a total of over 19 million visitors the whole year.

In 1927, more than 100,000 people gathered in the park to welcome Charles A. Lindbergh back to St. Louis after his non-stop flight from New York to Paris. In 1968, St. Louisians congregated in this park for a memorial service for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Restaurants

For a pleasant meal in a romantic setting, the Boathouse provides a delicious meal on the patio overlooking the lake. The restaurant also offers boat rentals for a fun afternoon on the water or a romantic boat ride.

If you’re looking for something quick, the Saint Louis Zoo has many options. The Painted Giraffe Café offers sandwich and salad options. For something sweet, the Ice Cream Oasis has a wide variety of ice cream treats.

Want to go upscale? Try Bixby’s at the Missouri History Museum. This restaurant serves fine cuisine and has Champagne Sunday brunch with a buffet of quality meats and desserts.

Entertainment

Forest Park offers some of the best free entertainment you can find in St. Louis. One of the many events that visitors enjoy is the Twilight Tuesdays concert series hosted on Missouri History Museum’s front lawn several times throughout the year.

In September, Forest Park hosts the Great Balloon Race, Balloon Glow and the St. Louis Wine Festival. Both of these events feature live musical performances.

In addition to the ice-skating rink, many visitors enjoy the sledding available at Art Hill during the winter.

Visitors to the zoo enjoy the Wild Lights holiday lights display that runs on selected nights in November and December.

Attractions

Featuring works from several cultures throughout the world, St. Louis Art Museum is known as one of the nation’s finest art museums.

Another museum worth a visit is Missouri History Museum which hosts continuing exhibits on St. Louis History.

The St. Louis Science Center holds an OmniMax theater and a planetarium and has over 700 hands-on exhibits.

St. Louis Zoo features well over 5,000 animals from 700 species.

In celebration of its 100th anniversary this year, it is hosting a Zootennial that will be  featuring several special exhibits.

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